Paul Hipp
About
Biography
Filmography
Notes
"I have a few more rough edges than [Buddy Holly]. I put in my time Downtown . . . I stayed in the Bowery Men's Shelter for a few nights, I slept in every house in this town, I've stolen tins of Dinty Moore's stew with the fliptop so I could eat. I don't want to cry the blues about it, I guess I had a pretty good time, but there were some rough times, times I wondered if I could find a place to sleep . . ." --Paul Hipp in NEW YORK NEWSDAY, November 2, 1990
"People always ask me, 'Which do you do, are you an actor or a musician?' and I see no reason why there's got to be an answer. I guess a lot of actors slum as musicians and the other way around, but for me I've come up doing both things, putting equal importance on both." --Hipp to THEATERWEEK, February 4, 1991
Biography
An accomplished singer, songwriter and actor, Paul Hipp left his Bucks County suburban home after high school for the hardscrabble life of a Greenwich Village musician. He made his feature debut as gang thug Nino Vallachi in Abel Ferrara's "China Girl" (1987) and also recorded the main theme for the movie. He subsequently worked on three other Ferrara projects, acting in "The Bad Lieutenant" (1992) and "The Funeral" (1996) and writing, producing and singing the song "I Want You Back" for "Body Snatchers" (1993). Ferrara also served as executive producer for Hipp's feature directorial debut "Death of a Dog" (lensed 1997).
While acting in an off-off-Broadway play called "Rockabilly Road," Hipp met singer-songwriter Carole King, with whom he acted in the two-character "A Minor Incident" on Theater Row and performed in concert at The Royal Albert Hall. It was during this first visit to England that he landed the title role in the London production of "Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story," a part he would reprise for his Broadway debut in 1990. For his performance as Holly, he earned a Laurence Olivier Award nomination, a Tony nomination and a Theatre World Award and Hipp garnered significant recognition in the entertainment industry. Since then he has starred as George Berger in the 25th anniversary revival of "Hair" at the Old Vic and as singer Gene Vincent in "Be Bop A Lulu" at the Theatre-Theater in Los Angeles.
On TV, Hipp debuted as Elvis Presley in the CBS biopic "Liberace: Behind the Music" (1987) and starred in "Legacy," the pilot for a proposed NBC midseason replacement series. He has also guest starred on episodes of "Men Behaving Badly," "Nash Bridges" and "Tales From the Crypt," among others. His role as Joe Odom, the fast-talking, party-loving tax attorney reprobate in Clint Eastwood's feature adaptation of the John Berendt novel "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" (1997), displayed Hipp's musicianship (this time at the piano) and offered him his best exposure since his turn as Buddy Holly.
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Cinematography (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Music (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Music (Special)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1987
Feature film debut, "China Girl", directed by Abel Ferrara; recorded the main theme for the movie
1988
TV debut portraying Elvis Presley in the CBS biopic "Liberace: Behind the Music"
1989
Created role of Buddy Holly in London production of "Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story"
1990
Made Broadway debut in title role "Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story"; nominated for a Tony Award
1992
Had featured role in Ferrara's "Bad Lieutenant"
1993
Starred as George Berger in the 25th anniversary revival of "Hair" at the Old Vic
1993
Wrote and performed songs on the soundtrack for Ferrara's "Body Snatchers"
1996
Appeared in Ferrara's "The Funeral"
1997
Cast as Joe Odom by Clint Eastwood in "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil"
1997
Lensed "Death of a Dog", his feature directorial debut (as yet unreleased), also produced; Abel Ferrara executive produced; David Caruso provided additional funding
1997
Played Fitch in John Woo's "Face/Off"
Family
Bibliography
Notes
"I have a few more rough edges than [Buddy Holly]. I put in my time Downtown . . . I stayed in the Bowery Men's Shelter for a few nights, I slept in every house in this town, I've stolen tins of Dinty Moore's stew with the fliptop so I could eat. I don't want to cry the blues about it, I guess I had a pretty good time, but there were some rough times, times I wondered if I could find a place to sleep . . ." --Paul Hipp in NEW YORK NEWSDAY, November 2, 1990
"People always ask me, 'Which do you do, are you an actor or a musician?' and I see no reason why there's got to be an answer. I guess a lot of actors slum as musicians and the other way around, but for me I've come up doing both things, putting equal importance on both." --Hipp to THEATERWEEK, February 4, 1991
"[Clint Eastwood] makes movies the way they used to be made. He doesn't sit behind a monitor with ten cameras. He watches the actors and works with what's around him. He knows what he wants. I like his quiet efficiency. Last night he quoted that great [James] Cagney line: 'Plant your feet, look the other guy in the eye and tell the truth.'" --Paul Hipp, quoted in SAVANNAH MORNING NEWS, November 26, 1997
